Systems, methods, and devices for presence identification

ABSTRACT

According to one embodiment, a network device includes an uplink port, a downlink port, a memory, and a processor. The processor is configured for providing a webserver; receiving a request from a mobile device of a user to establish a connection with the downlink port; establishing a first connection between the mobile device and the webserver via the downlink port; determining a media access control (MAC) address of the mobile device; receiving, from a server, user history information associated with the MAC address; and providing targeted information to the mobile device based on the user history information. The processor may be further configured for querying the server using the MAC address to obtain the user history information, collecting new user information and transmitting updated user history information to the server.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/600,674 filed Oct. 14, 2019, entitled “SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND DEVICESFOR PRESENCE IDENTIFICATION,”, which will issue as U.S. Pat. No.10,595,158 on Mar. 17, 2020, which claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/142,298 filed Sep. 26, 2018, entitled “SYSTEMS,METHODS, AND DEVICES FOR PRESENCE IDENTIFICATION,”, which issued as U.S.Pat. No. 10,448,198 on Oct. 15, 2019, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/564,657 filed Sep. 28, 2017,entitled “PRESENCE-IDENTIFICATION MODULE, SYSTEM, AND METHODS,”. Thedisclosure of each of the aforementioned applications is incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The presently disclosed subject matter relates generally to the field ofcontent delivery over a network. More particularly; systems, methods,and devices are disclosed for delivering content to a user's mobiledevice using a presence-identification device.

BACKGROUND

Currently, small businesses that have limited funds may have little orno ability to enhance their goods and services. Consequently, a smallbusiness may miss out on an opportunity to offer expanded goods andservices that are tailored to the individual customer. For example, asmall business may be limited to only what a service provider happens tosuggest or mention to the customer. Furthermore, the information theservice provider presents to the customer can often be incomplete andeven incorrect. Current marketing and advertising solutions aregenerally directed toward large business enterprises. Unfortunately,these solutions are generally large-scale expensive solutions, ratherthan low-cost solutions that small businesses can afford.

In a small business environment, offers for products and/or services aretypically made face-to-face once a customer arrives at the businessestablishment. Consequently, offers are usually made one customer at atime. However, a drawback of this “one at a time” face-to-faceinteraction is that it is time consuming and inefficient. Further, itrequires that service personnel remember and correctly communicate everyoffer. Accordingly, there remains a need for further contributions inthe technologies by which small businesses can provide marketing andadvertising information to their customers and in a manner that isaffordable.

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and devices for deliveringcontent to a mobile device using a presence-identification device.According to one embodiment, a network device (e.g. thepresence-identification device) includes an uplink port, a downlinkport, a memory, and a processor. The processor is configured forproviding a webserver; receiving a request from a mobile device of auser to establish a connection with the downlink port; establishing afirst connection between the mobile device and the webserver via thedownlink port; determining a media access control (MAC) address of themobile device; receiving, from a server, user history informationassociated with the MAC address; and providing targeted information tothe mobile device based on the user history information. The processormay be further configured for querying the server using the MAC addressto obtain the user history information, collecting new user information,and transmitting updated user history information to the server.

In some embodiments, the downlink port may be a Wi-Fi access point or apersonal area network (PAN) interface. The uplink port may be anEthernet port or a universal serial bus (USB) port. The mobile devicemay be an activity tracker, a smartwatch, a smartphone, a tablet, alaptop, or the like.

In some embodiments, the server may be a customer relationshipmanagement (CRM) server and the server may be hosted in a cloudcomputing environment. The server may also be a virtual server. The userhistory information may include a user name, a user phone number, a useremail address, a mobile device model number, and/or a mobile deviceserial number. The user history information may also include a usergender, a user age, and/or a user marital status.

In some embodiments, the webserver may be associated with a businessentity and the business entity may be a brick and mortar entity. Thetargeted information may include a coupon, an advertisement associatedwith the business entity, and/or user specific check-in information. Thetargeted information may also include a one-click check-in button.

In some embodiments, the Wi-Fi access point may be configured totransmit a maximum power broadcast signal of less than 50 milliwattsaverage power. In other embodiments, the Wi-Fi access point may beconfigured to transmit a maximum power broadcast signal of less than 10milliwatts average power. In other embodiments, the downlink port may bea millimeter wave access point or a free space optics access point.

In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable mediumcomprises a plurality of machine-readable instructions which whenexecuted by one or more processors of a network device (e.g. apresence-identification device) are adapted to cause the network deviceto perform a method. The method includes providing a webserver;receiving a request from a mobile device of a user to establish aconnection with a downlink port of the network device; establishing afirst connection between the mobile device and the webserver;determining a media access control (MAC) address of the mobile device;receiving, from a server via an uplink port of the network device, userhistory information associated with the MAC address; and providingtargeted information to the mobile device based on the user historyinformation. The method may further include querying the server usingthe MAC address to obtain the user history information and transmittingupdated user history information to the server.

In another embodiment, a method is implemented on a network device (e.g.a presence-identification device). The network device includes aprocessor, a memory, an uplink port, and a downlink port. The methodincludes providing a webserver; receiving a request from a mobile deviceof a user to establish a connection with a downlink port of the networkdevice, establishing a first connection between the mobile device andthe webserver; determining a media access control (MAC) address of themobile device; receiving, from a server via an uplink port of thenetwork device, user history information associated with the MACaddress; and providing targeted information to the mobile device basedon the user history information. The method may further include queryingthe server using the MAC address to obtain the user history informationand transmitting updated user history information to the server.

The features and advantages described in this summary and the followingdetailed description are not all-inclusive. Many additional features andadvantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in viewof the drawings, specification, and claims presented herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present embodiments are illustrated by way of example and are notintended to be limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings. Inthe drawings:

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram illustrating a presence-identificationdevice supporting a brick and mortar entity in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram illustrating the presence-identificationdevice in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of a presence-identification systemincluding the presence-identification device in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram illustrating the presence-identificationsystem supporting a plurality of brick and mortar entities in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts a presence-identification graphical user interface (GUI)in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 depicts a presence-identification GUI in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 depicts a presence-identification GUI in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of an example of a method ofgenerating a user record that associates a MAC address to a person usingthe presently disclosed presence-identification device and/or system inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flow diagram of an example of a method of operationof the presently disclosed presence-identification device and/or systemin accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram of another example of a method ofoperation of the presently disclosed presence-identification deviceand/or system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a standaloneconfiguration of the presently disclosed presence-identification systemin accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure and figures are illustrative and are not to be construedas limiting. Numerous specific details are described to provide athorough understanding of the disclosure. However, in certain instances,well-known or conventional details are not described in order to avoidobscuring the description. References to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” in the present disclosure can be, but not necessarily are,references to the same embodiment and such references mean at least oneof the embodiments.

Reference in this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic describedin connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodimentof the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” invarious places in the specification are not necessarily all referring tothe same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodimentsmutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features aredescribed which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others.Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirementsfor some embodiments but not for other embodiments.

The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinarymeanings in the art, within the context of the disclosure, and in thespecific context where each term is used. Certain terms that are used todescribe the disclosure are discussed below, or elsewhere in thespecification, to provide additional guidance to the practitionerregarding the description of the disclosure. For convenience, certainterms may be highlighted, for example using italics and/or quotationmarks. The use of highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaningof a term; the scope and meaning of a term is the same, in the samecontext, whether or not it is highlighted. It will be appreciated thatsame thing can be said in more than one way.

Consequently, alternative language and synonyms may be used for any oneor more of the terms discussed herein, nor is any special significanceto be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussedherein. Synonyms for certain terms are provided. A recital of one ormore synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use ofexamples anywhere in this specification, including examples of any termsdiscussed herein, is illustrative only, and is not intended to furtherlimit the scope and meaning of the disclosure or of any exemplifiedterm. Likewise, the disclosure is not limited to various embodimentsgiven in this specification.

Without intent to limit the scope of the disclosure, examples ofinstruments, apparatus, methods and their related results according tothe embodiments of the present disclosure are given below. Note thattitles or subtitles may be used in the examples for convenience of areader, which in no way should limit the scope of the disclosure. Unlessotherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein havethe same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in theart to which this disclosure pertains. In the case of conflict, thepresent document, including definitions, will control.

In some embodiments, the presently disclosed subject matter provides apresence-identification device and system for and methods of deliveringcontent to a mobile device. The presence-identification device allowssmall businesses to provide marketing and advertising information totheir customers in a manner that is affordable.

The presently disclosed presence-identification device can be a softwareand/or hardware device that is used to (1) discriminate between theonsite persons and the offsite persons by detecting the computingdevices of the onsite persons only, (2) associate the MAC address of thedetected computing device to a specific person and then store a recordthereof, and (3) provide a method by which targeted content can bedelivered to each of the onsite persons via their respective computingdevices.

The presently disclosed presence-identification system includes acloud-based network service provider that supports one or more brick andmortar entities (e.g., small businesses), wherein each brick and mortarentity has a presence-identification application running on thepresence-identification device. The presence-identification device canbe a low-cost near-range Wi-Fi access point that is accessible only byusers that are physically present at the brick and mortar entity'sphysical site (i.e., walk-in customers).

Every computing device has a unique media access control (MAC) addressassociated therewith. For example, each and every desktop computer,laptop computer, tablet device, and mobile phone or smartphone has aunique MAC address that does not change. Namely, the MAC address can bethought of as kind of serial number, wherein no two computing devicesshould have the same MAC address. By contrast, an Internet Protocol (IP)address is assigned to every device on a network, so that any device canbe located on that network. The IP address is assigned and will changeany time the device connects to a different network.

The operation of the presently disclosed presence-identification systemis based on the use of MAC addresses. Namely, thepresence-identification application running on thepresence-identification device is a software and/or hardware applicationthat is programmed to (1) capture the MAC address of any computingdevice connected to the presence-identification device; (2) prompt theconnected user for information, such as, but not limited to, theperson's name, phone number, email address, gender, and the like; and(3) generate and store a user record that associates the MAC address toan individual (i.e., the user).

Further, the network service provider of the presently disclosedpresence-identification system provides, for example, cloud-basedsupport wherein (1) brick and mortar entity-specific content isdeveloped, stored, and managed; and (2) user information is stored andmanaged.

In the presently disclosed presence-identification device, system, andmethods, by virtue of the fact that a device is connected to thepresence-identification device (i.e., a near-range Wi-Fi access point)of a certain brick and mortar entity it is determined that a customer isphysically present at the brick and mortar entity's physical site.Accordingly, targeted content can be delivered to the onsite customer'smobile device while they are physically onsite and most likely to takeadvantage of product and/or service offers.

An aspect of the presently disclosed presence-identification device,system, and methods is that it provides a low-cost entry point by which,for example, small businesses may support a variety of high valuefeatures and/or services. Namely, the presently disclosedpresence-identification device, system, and methods provides a low-cost,high-value network for delivering content and convenience to smallbusiness customers—an alternative to large business solutions.

Referring now to FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of an example of thepresently disclosed presence-identification device 100 for supporting,for example, any brick and mortar entity 190. The brick and mortarentity 190 is representative of any operating space, brick and mortar orotherwise, in which products and/or services can be provided or at leastoffered to persons 105. The brick and mortar entity 190 can be theoperating space of, for example, any small business, a library, a healthcare provider, and the like.

Certain persons 105 may be physically present within the immediateoperating space of the brick and mortar entity 190, while other persons105 may be nearby but not physically present within the immediateoperating space of the brick and mortar entity 190. Those persons 105that are physically present within the immediate operating space of thebrick and mortar entity 190 are hereafter called onsite persons 105. Anexample of onsite persons 105 are those persons who are physicallypresent inside the building of a small business establishment and in theimmediate space in which the business's products and/or services arebeing offered by service personnel. By contrast, those persons 105 thatare not physically present within the immediate operating space of thebrick and mortar entity 190 are hereafter called offsite persons 105.Examples of offsite persons 105 are any persons who are not physicallypresent inside the building of a small business establishment. Forexample, the offsite persons 105 may be outside on the street or in theparking lot of the small business establishment, but not inside whereservice personnel can interact with them.

Each of the persons 105 (both the onsite persons 105 and the offsitepersons 105) may have a respective computing device 110. The computingdevices 110 may be any network-enabled mobile device, such as, but notlimited to, a laptop computer, a tablet device, a personal digitalassistant (PDA) device, a mobile phone or smartphone, and the like.

With respect to the physical operating space of the brick and mortarentity 190, the presently disclosed presence-identification device 100is designed to discriminate between the onsite persons 105 and theoffsite persons 105. For example, using a near-range wireless network,the presence-identification device 100 may detect the presence of thecomputing devices 110 of the onsite persons 105 while at the same timenot detecting the presence of the computing devices 110 of the offsitepersons 105. Further, the presence-identification device 100 can handledynamically the repeated transitions of onsite persons 105 to offsitepersons 105 and of offsite persons 105 to onsite persons 105.

Further, once the presence of a certain computing device 110 of anonsite person 105 is detected, the presently disclosedpresence-identification device 100 performs the task of associating theMAC address of the certain computing device 110 to the certain onsiteperson 105 and storing a record thereof. Further, the presentlydisclosed presence-identification device 100 provides a conduit fordelivering targeted content to each of the onsite persons 105 via theirrespective computing devices 110. Additionally, thepresence-identification device 100 can be implemented at the brick andmortar entity 190 using simple and low-cost network infrastructure. Moredetails of the presence-identification device 100 are shown anddescribed herein below with reference to FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of an example of the presently disclosedthe presence-identification device 100. Again, thepresence-identification device 100 can be a software and/or hardwaredevice that is used to (1) discriminate between the onsite persons 105and the offsite persons 105 by detecting the computing devices 110 ofthe onsite persons 105 only, (2) associate the MAC address of thedetected computing device 110 to a specific onsite person 105 and thenstore a record thereof, and (3) provide a method by which targetedcontent can be delivered to each of the onsite persons 105 via theirrespective computing devices 110.

In the example shown here in FIG. 2, the presence-identification device100 is a low-cost near-range Wi-Fi access point that can be implemented,for example, via a low-cost single-board computer device. For example, asingle-board system on a chip (SoC) platform that includes, for example,computer processing capability, data storage capability, wiredcommunications capability (e.g., Ethernet), wireless communicationscapability (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®), router capability, programmableinput/output (I/O) capability, and the like.

The presence-identification device 100 may include, for example, acontroller 122, a quantity of local memory 124, a quantity of portablememory 126, near-range wireless communications 128, wired communications130, a general purpose (GP) I/O port 132, certain device-specific I/Oports 134, an audio/video (AV) port 136, and a power port 138.Additionally, an operating system (OS) 140, a presence-identificationapplication 142, and user records 144 may be stored on the portablememory 126. In one example, the portable memory 126 is a pluggablemicroSD card that holds any programming information with respect to theoperation of the presence-identification device 100.

The controller 122 can be any microcontroller or microprocessor that iscapable of executing program instructions. The local memory 124 can be,for example, the operating random access memory (RAM) of thepresence-identification device 100. The near-range wirelesscommunications 128 can include, for example, both 802.11 Wi-Fitechnology and Bluetooth® technology. The wired communications 130 caninclude, for example, one or more Ethernet ports, one or more universalserial bus (USB) ports, and/or one or more high-definition multimediainterface (HDMI) ports. The GP I/O port 132 can be, for example, anyarrangement and number of GP I/O pins. The device-specific I/O ports 134can include, for example, a camera serial interface (CSI) and a displayserial interface (DSI). The AV port 136 can include, for example, anaudio jack and a composite video jack. The power port 138 can be anyreceptacle for receiving power, such as a micro-USB port.

In one example, the presence-identification device 100 is implementedusing the well-known Raspberry Pi 3 platform available from TheRaspberry Pi Foundation (United Kingdom), see www.raspberrypi.org.However, the presence-identification device 100 can be implemented usingother single-board computers, such as, but not limited to, the Orange PiPC 2 platform available from Shenzhen Xunlong Software CO., Limited(www.orangepi.org), and the Asus Tinker Board available from ASUSTeKComputer Inc. (Taipei, Taiwan).

The implementation of the presence-identification device 100 is notlimited to using a single-board computer platform, such as describedwith respect to the presence-identification device 100. The presentlydisclosed presence-identification device 100 can be implemented in otherways. For example, existing computers, appliances, and/or internettechnologies (including cloud) that can be (easily) modified anddeveloped to deploy the presence-identification device 100. Further,with respect to detecting the computing devices 110 of the onsitepersons 105 only, various technologies, such as beacon technologies, areavailable to detect proximity from 100 yards to a few feet. Beacontechnologies involve Bluetooth (Bluetooth Low Energy—BLE), or Light,Surface, Sound, and the like.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of an example of apresence-identification system 200 that includes the presently disclosedpresence-identification 100. In this system configuration, thepresence-identification system 200 supports one brick and mortar entity190. The presence-identification system 200 includes a network serviceprovider 210 and the brick and mortar entity 190. The network serviceprovider 210 can be, for example, a cloud-based enterprise thatincludes, for example, a customer relationship management (CRM)application 212, an analytics function 214, and a CRM server 216.

CRM application 212 is, for example, a cloud-based software applicationthat can be used to manage a variety of business processes andinformation of the brick and mortar entity 190. Namely, for managingcontent delivery to customers of the brick and mortar entity 190. CRMapplication 212 can be used to support any number of brick and mortarentity 190 (see FIG. 2). In one example, the CRM application 212 and thepresence-identification application 142 of the presence-identificationdevice 100 operate in a client-server architecture wherein thepresence-identification application 142 is the counterpart to the CRMapplication 212.

CRM server 216 can be a database as well as any other applications thatmay be invoked based on the analytics processes of the analyticsfunction 214. Examples of information that can be stored on CRM server216 include, but are not limited to, general content 218, customercontent 220, user records 144, and user history files 222. The generalcontent 218 can be, for example, a collection or repository of anydigital images and/or information. The general content 218 can beorganized, for example, by industry (e.g., food service industry,personal care industry, etc.) and/or any other categories orsub-categories.

The brick and mortar entities 190 may be associated with the networkservice provider 210 by a subscription-based model. As such, the brickand mortar entities 190 may be considered customers of the networkservice provider 210. Accordingly, the customer content 220 can includeany brick and mortar entity 190—specific information. Namely, any brickand mortar entity 190—specific content, such as coupons, specials, anyinformation that a certain network service provider 210 wishes topresent to their onsite customers.

The user records 144 are a collection of information about the customers(i.e., persons 105) of the brick and mortar entities 190. Each userrecord 144 includes, at least, a person's name and phone number and/oremail address, as well as the MAC address of the person's mobile device.Optionally, each user record 144 may also include any other information,such as gender, age, marital status, and the like. Accordingly, eachuser record 144 includes an association of a MAC address to an actualperson. Examples of user records 144 are shown below in Tables 1, 2, and3. Associated with each user record 144 is a user history file 222,which is a record of the activity of a particular person 105 withrespect to one or more brick and mortar entities 190.

TABLE 1 Example user record 144 Record ID 0000001 Timestamp 2017-09-1410:43:06 MAC Address 00-14-22-01-23-45 Name John Doe Phone (555)555-1234 Email — Gender — Age — Marital Status —

TABLE 2 Example user record 144 Record ID 0000002 Timestamp 2017-09-1410:43:06 MAC Address 38:71:DE:A5:32:05 Name Jane Doe Phone (555)555-5678 Email janedoe21@gmail.com Gender — Age 24 Marital Status —

TABLE 3 Example user record 144 Record ID 0000003 Timestamp 2017-09-1410:43:06 MAC Address 78:FD:94:36:A5:9F Name Joe Smith Phone (555)555-9191 Email jsmith001@yahoo.com Gender Male Age 19 Marital StatusSingle

Conventionally, a business entity may provide free Wi-Fi for theconvenience of their customers. However, Wi-Fi often has a wide rangethat extends beyond and/or outside of the physical business site.Therefore, a person may connect to the Wi-Fi network when in the broadvicinity of the business without actually entering and visiting thephysical business site. For example, the person connecting to thebusiness's Wi-Fi network may be outside on the street or in the parkinglot, but not physically inside the operating space of the business.Further, even by analyzing their network information, the business willhave no way of knowing when or if the person ever physically enteredtheir physical business site. By contrast, the presence-identificationsystem 200 provides a mechanism (e.g., the presence-identificationdevice 100) by which it can be known when walk-in customers (i.e.,onsite persons 105) are physically present onsite of a business entity.

The brick and mortar entity 190 can be any entity (e.g., any smallbusiness) that wishes to provide a low-cost, high-value network fordelivering content and convenience to patrons wherein it is known thatthe walk-in patrons are physically present at the physical site of thebrick and mortar entity 190. Accordingly, the brick and mortar entity190 includes the presence-identification device 100. The controller 122and the presence-identification application 142 of thepresence-identification device 100 are used to generate the user records144.

Again, the presence-identification device 100 can be a low-costnear-range Wi-Fi access point that is accessible only by the onsitepersons 105 at the brick and mortar entity 190, as described in FIG. 2.This is, the Wi-Fi broadcast range of presence-identification device 100is limited substantially to only the physical space within which thebusiness operates.

Because the presence-identification device 100 is a near-range Wi-Fiaccess point, only the computing devices 110 of the onsite persons 105of the brick and mortar entity 190 are within the broadcast range of thepresence-identification device 100 and are therefore able to connect tothe Wi-Fi network thereof. Once any computing device 110 connects to theWi-Fi network of the presence-identification device 100, thepresence-identification application 142 processes the connection.Namely, the presence-identification application 142 running on thepresence-identification device 100 is a software and/or hardwareapplication that is programmed to (1) capture the MAC address of anycomputing device 110 connected to the presence-identification device100; (2) prompt the connected onsite person 105 for information, suchas, but not limited to, the person's name, phone number, email address,gender, and the like; and (3) generate and store a user record 144 (seeTables 1, 2, 3) that associates the MAC address to an individual (i.e.,the certain person 105). By contrast, conventional public networks relyon IP addresses rather than MAC addresses for processing connections andwherein there can be no firm association of an IP address to an actualperson.

The presence-identification device 100 of the brick and mortar entity190 is connected to the cloud-based network service provider 210 via anetwork 180. The network 180 can be a local area network (LAN) or widearea network (WAN) for connecting to the Internet. Thepresence-identification device 100 can be connected to the network 180via any wired or wireless method. Once a user record 144 is created forany person 105, the user record 144 can be transmitted to and stored atCRM server 216 of the network service provider 210.

Information in a given user record 144 in combination with knowledge ofthe products and services of the brick and mortar entity 190 (e.g.,products and services of the small business) can be used to inform theCRM application 212 about what customer content 220 to deliver to acertain person 105 via his/her computing device 110. For example andreferring now again to Table 2, Jane Doe is physically present at theplace of business of a certain brick and mortar entity 190 and istherefore able to connect to the near-range Wi-Fi access point, which isthe presence-identification device 100. Once connected, thepresence-identification application 142 running on thepresence-identification device 100 captures the MAC address of JaneDoe's computing device 110.

In the example of Table 2, the MAC address of Jane Doe's computingdevice 110 is 38:71:DE:A5:32:05. The CRM application 212 of the networkservice provider 210 searches the user records 144 in CRM server 216 forMAC address=38:71:DE:A5:32:05. A match is found in a certain user record144 and therefore the CRM application 212 now knows that the computingdevice 110 belongs to Jane Doe, which follows that the CRM application212 now knows that Jane Doe is physically onsite at the brick and mortarentity 190. Tailored content can now be delivered to Jane Doe'scomputing device 110 that is based on information in Jane Doe's userrecord 144 in combination with knowledge of the products and services ofthe brick and mortar entity 190 (e.g., products and services of thesmall business). Again, in presence-identification system 200, theability to associate MAC address=38:71:DE:A5:32:05 to Jane Doe providesa low-cost and simple way for small businesses to deliver a variety ofhigh value features and/or services to Jane Doe specifically.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of the presently disclosedpresence-identification system 200 that is supporting a plurality of thebrick and mortar entities 190. Namely, the cloud-based network serviceprovider 210 can support any number of the brick and mortar entities190, wherein each of the brick and mortar entities 190 may be adifferent small business or any other entity.

FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 depict an example of apresence-identification graphical user interface (GUI) 300 of thepresently disclosed presence-identification device 100 and/orpresence-identification system 200.

Once the presence-identification application 142 processes theconnection, the presence-identification GUI 300 may be launchedautomatically on the computing device 110 of the onsite person 105. Forexample, the presence-identification GUI 300 shown in FIG. 5 has a“Walk-in Appointment” button, a “Check-in Appointment” button, a“Service Registration” button, and an “Add to Home Screen” button. The“Walk-in Appointment” button and the “Check-in Appointment” buttonprovide convenience for the person 105 by eliminating the need to speakdirectly to the service provider—adding efficiency and value to thebrick and mortar entity 190's operations. The “Add to Home Screen”button gives the person 105 the option to have a brick and mortar entity190—specific icon (e.g., an icon 112 shown on FIG. 3 and FIG. 4) placedon the desktop or homepage of his/her computing device 110. Thepresence-identification GUI 300 is not limited to these selections,these are exemplary only. The presence-identification GUI 300 caninclude any number and types of selections. Namely, thepresence-identification GUI 300 provides a mechanism by which the person105 may receive any content. For example, there may be an “Our Products”button, an “Our Services” button, a “Coupons” button, a “Today'sSpecials” button, and the like.

Once the presence-identification application 142 detects a computingdevice 110 connected to the near-range Wi-Fi network, the connectedonsite person 105 may be prompted for information using thepresence-identification GUI 300 shown in FIG. 6. In this example, theonsite person 105 is prompted for his/her name, phone number, and anyspecial requests. Further, push button selections may be providedwhereby the person 105 can easily initiate actions.

Certain content that can be delivered to the onsite person 105 via thepresence-identification GUI 300, an example of which is shown in FIG. 7.Because knowing when persons 105 are physically onsite at the brick andmortar entities 190 is a main aspect of the presently disclosedpresence-identification device 100 and/or presence-identification system200, the content may be delivered with an “I AM HERE” or “Here@ . . . ”theme. In this example, the brick and mortar entity 190 is a nail salonand therefore an “I AM HERE” app for a nail salon is launched, forexample, an “I AM HERE@nail_salon_name” or “Here@nail_salon_name” app.The “I AM HERE@nail_salon_name” app may include, for example, a videoabout products and services, a discount offer, and a special productoffering. In the presence-identification system 200, the content for the“I AM HERE” app is sourced from the network service provider 210 anddelivered over the Internet (i.e., network 180). The content can be, forexample, a link to any web-based content. The content is managedremotely by the CRM application 212 of the network service provider 210.As a result, there need not be a local data repository at each brick andmortar entity 190 and thereby keeping the network infrastructure at eachbrick and mortar entity 190 simple and low cost.

In other examples, when the brick and mortar entity 190 is a restaurant,the “I AM HERE” app can be the “I AM HERE@restaurant_name” app. When thebrick and mortar entity 190 is an oil change service, the “I AM HERE”app can be the “I AM HERE@oil_change_company_name” app. When the brickand mortar entity 190 is a bakery, the “I AM HERE” app can be the “I AMHERE@bakery_name” app.

An aspect of the presence-identification device 100 and/or thepresence-identification system 200 is that the network service provider210 develops and manages brick and mortar entity 190—specific content(e.g., customer content 220). Further, the presence-identificationdevice 100 and/or the presence-identification system 200 provideflexibility to support both static apps and dynamic apps. With respectto dynamic content, the content may be tailored, for example, based ontime of day, day of week, day of month, day of year, season of the year,holiday, geographic locations, user history, user information (e.g.,user's birthday, user's gender, user's age), and the like. As a result,the presently disclosed presence-identification device 100 and/orpresence-identification system 200 is more flexible than large staticwebsites that provide the same information day after day. Further, thepresently disclosed presence-identification system 200 reduces orsubstantially eliminates manual searching as compared with large staticwebsites wherein the user has to manually search the website to findinformation.

FIG. 8 depicts a flow diagram of an example of a method 400 ofgenerating a user record 144 that associates a MAC address to a personusing the presently disclosed presence-identification device 100 and/orpresence-identification system 200. The method 400 includes, but is notlimited to, the following steps.

At a step 410, the onsite customer connects his/her mobile device to thepresence-identification appliance. For example, using his/her computingdevice 110, the onsite person 105 searches for, then locates, thenconnects to the near-range Wi-Fi network of the presence-identificationdevice 100. By connecting to the near-range Wi-Fi network of thepresence-identification device 100, it is indicated to thepresence-identification application 142 that the person 105 isphysically onsite of the brick and mortar entity 190.

At a step 415, a computer application captures the MAC address of theconnecting device. For example, the presence-identification application142 of the presence-identification device 100 captures the MAC addressof the connecting computing device 110.

At a step 420, the computer application prompts the onsite customer forhis/her name, phone number, email, and/or any other information. Forexample, the presence-identification application 142 of thepresence-identification device 100 prompts the onsite person 105 forhis/her name, phone number, email, and/or any other information using,for example, the presence-identification GUI 300 shown in FIG. 5.

At a step 425, the computer application generates a user record thatassociates the MAC address of the connecting device to a specificcustomer. For example, the presence-identification application 142 ofthe presence-identification device 100 generates a user record 144 thatassociates the MAC address of the connecting computing device 110 to aspecific person 105. Examples of user records 144 are shown hereinabovewith reference to Tables 1, 2, and 3.

FIG. 9 depicts a flow diagram of an example of a method 500 of operationof the presently disclosed presence-identification device 100 and/orpresence-identification system 200. An aspect of the method 500 is thatbecause it can be determined that a walk-in customer (e.g., onsiteperson 105) is physically present at the brick and mortar entity190—site, targeted content can be delivered to the customer's mobiledevice while they are physically onsite and most likely to takeadvantage of product and/or service offers. The method 500 includes, butis not limited to, the following steps.

At a step 510, the onsite customer enters the broadcast range of thepresence-identification device 100. For example, the onsite person 105and his/her computing device 110 enters the broadcast range of thepresence-identification device 100.

At a step 515, the onsite customer connects his/her mobile device to thepresence-identification device 100. For example, using his/her computingdevice 110, the onsite person 105 searches for, then locates, thenconnects to the near-range Wi-Fi network of the presence-identificationdevice 100. By connecting to the near-range Wi-Fi network of thepresence-identification device 100, it is indicated to thepresence-identification application 142 that the person 105 isphysically onsite of the brick and mortar entity 190.

At a step 520, a computer application captures the mobile device MACaddress and then prompts the customer for information. For example, thepresence-identification application 142 of the presence-identificationdevice 100 captures the MAC address of the connecting computing device110. Then, the presence-identification application 142 of thepresence-identification device 100 prompts the onsite person 105 forhis/her name, phone number, email, and/or any other information using,for example, the presence-identification GUI 300 shown in FIG. 5.

At a step 525, the computer application generates a user record thatassociates the MAC address of the connecting device to a specificcustomer. For example, the presence-identification application 142 ofthe presence-identification device 100 generates a user record 144 thatassociates the MAC address of the connecting computing device 110 to aspecific person 105. Examples of user records 144 are shown hereinabovewith reference to Tables 1, 2, and 3.

At a step 530, the computer application transmits the user record 144 tothe CRM server 216 and a history file is created. For example, thepresence-identification application 142 of the presence-identificationdevice 100 transmits the user record 144 to the CRM server 216 of thenetwork service provider 210 and a user history file 222 is created thatis related to this specific user record 144.

At a step 535, the user data is validated. Namely, under the control ofthe CRM application 212 of the network service provider 210 and/or thepresence-identification application 142 of the presence-identificationdevice 100, the user data is validated. In one example, the CRMapplication 212 transmits a validation code via a text message or emailto the person 105 in question. If the person 105 receives and enters thecode, then a response is generated back to the CRM application 212 andthe user data is classified as validated. However, if no response isgenerated back to the CRM application 212, then the user data isclassified as not validated.

At a step 540, personalized content is delivered to the onsite customer.For example, using information in a given user record 144 in combinationwith knowledge of the products and services of the brick and mortarentity 190 (e.g., products and services of the small business), the CRMapplication 212 (and with help from the analytics function 214) can beinformed about what customer content 220 to deliver to the certainonsite person 105 via his/her computing device 110. For example, thecontent may be tailored based on the age, gender, and past purchases(found in the user history file 222, if any) of the certain onsiteperson 105. The presence-identification GUI 300 shown in FIG. 7 is anexample of personalized content that can be delivered to the onsiteperson 105.

FIG. 10 depicts a flow diagram of another example of a method 600 ofoperation of the presently disclosed presence-identification device 100and/or presence-identification system 200. An aspect of the method 600is that because it can be determined that a walk-in customer (e.g.,onsite person 105) is physically present at the brick and mortar entity190—site, targeted content can be delivered to the customer's mobiledevice while they are physically onsite and most likely to takeadvantage of product and/or service offers. The method 600 includes, butis not limited to, the following steps.

At a step 610, the onsite customer enters the broadcast range of thepresence-identification device 100. For example, the onsite person 105and his/her computing device 110 enters the broadcast range of thepresence-identification device 100.

At a step 615, the onsite customer connects his/her mobile device to thepresence-identification device 100. For example, using his/her computingdevice 110, the onsite person 105 searches for, then locates, thenconnects to the near-range Wi-Fi network of the presence-identificationdevice 100. By connecting to the near-range Wi-Fi network of thepresence-identification device 100, it is indicated to thepresence-identification application 142 that the person 105 isphysically onsite of the brick and mortar entity 190.

At a step 620, a computer application captures the mobile device MACaddress and then prompts the customer for information. For example, thepresence-identification application 142 of the presence-identificationdevice 100 captures the MAC address of the connecting computing device110. Then, the presence-identification application 142 of thepresence-identification device 100 prompts the onsite person 105 forhis/her name, phone number, email, and/or any other information.

At a step 625, the computer application queries the CRM server 216 for amatching MAC address. For example, the CRM application 212 of thenetwork service provider 210 and/or the presence-identificationapplication 142 of the presence-identification device 100 queries thecollection of user records 144 on the CRM server 216 of the networkservice provider 210 for a matching MAC address.

At a decision step 630, it is determined whether there is a matching MACaddress in the CRM server 216. If a matching MAC address is found, thenthe method 600 proceeds to step 635. However, if a matching MAC addressis not found, then the method 600 proceeds to step 650.

At a step 635, the computer application queries the CRM server 216 foruser history information. For example, the CRM application 212 of thenetwork service provider 210 and/or the presence-identificationapplication 142 of the presence-identification device 100 queries theuser history file 222 associated with the user record 144 containing thematching MAC address.

At a step 640, personalized content is delivered to the onsite customer.For example, using information in a given user record 144 in combinationwith knowledge of the products and services of the brick and mortarentity 190 (e.g., products and services of the small business), the CRMapplication 212 (and with help from the analytics function 214) can beinformed about what customer content 220 to deliver to the certainperson 105 via his/her computing device 110. For example, the contentmay be tailored based on the age, gender, and past purchases (found inthe user history file 222, if any) of the certain person 105. Thepresence-identification GUI 300 shown in FIG. 7 is an example ofpersonalized content that can be delivered to the onsite person 105.

At a step 645, the user history information is updated. For example, theuser history file 222 associated with the user record 144 containing thematching MAC address is updated. The method 600 ends.

At a step 650, the computer application prompts the customer forinformation. For example, the presence-identification application 142 ofthe presence-identification device 100 prompts the onsite person 105 forhis/her name, phone number, email, and/or any other information using,for example, the presence-identification GUI 300 shown in FIG. 5.

At a step 655, the computer application generates a user record thatassociates the MAC address of the connecting device to a specificcustomer. For example, the presence-identification application 142 ofthe presence-identification device 100 generates a user record 144 thatassociates the MAC address of the connecting computing device 110 to aspecific person 105. Examples of user records 144 are shown hereinabovewith reference to Tables 1, 2, and 3.

At a step 660, the computer application transmits the user record 144 tothe CRM server 216 and a history file is created. For example, thepresence-identification application 142 of the presence-identificationdevice 100 transmits the user record 144 to the CRM server 216 of thenetwork service provider 210 and a user history file 222 is created thatis related to this specific user record 144.

At a step 665, the user data is validated. Namely, under the control ofthe CRM application 212 of the network service provider 210 and/or thepresence-identification application 142 of the presence-identificationdevice 100, the user data is validated. In one example, the CRMapplication 212 transmits a validation code via a text message or emailto the person 105 in question. If the person 105 receives and enters thecode, then a response is generated back to the CRM application 212 andthe user data is classified as validated. However, if no response isgenerated back to the CRM application 212, then the user data isclassified as not validated.

At a step 670, personalized content is delivered to the onsite customer.For example, using information in a given user record 144 in combinationwith knowledge of the products and services of the brick and mortarentity 190 (e.g., products and services of the small business), the CRMapplication 212 (and with help from the analytics function 214) can beinformed about what customer content 220 to deliver to the certainperson 105 via his/her computing device 110. For example, the contentmay be tailored based on the age, gender, and past purchases (found inthe user history file 222, if any) of the certain person 105. Thepresence-identification GUI 300 shown in FIG. 7 is an example ofpersonalized content that can be delivered to the onsite person 105.Further, the user history file 222 associated with the user record 144is updated. The method 600 ends.

FIG. 11 depicts a block diagram of a presence-identification system 700,which is an example of a standalone configuration of the presentlydisclosed presence-identification system 200. Thepresence-identification system 700 is substantially the same as thepresence-identification system 200 shown with reference to FIG. 3 andFIG. 4 except that the network service provider 210 is omitted and thecustomer content 220 resides locally at the brick and mortar entity 190.In this example, in addition to its role of generating user records 144that associate a MAC address to a person, the presence-identificationapplication 142 further functions to manage the delivery of content tothe onsite (or walk-in) persons 105. In the presence-identificationsystem 700 there may be no user history and no analytics.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “device” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium (including, but not limitedto, non-transitory computer readable storage media). A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including object oriented and/or proceduralprogramming languages. Programming languages may include, but are notlimited to: Ruby, JavaScript, Java, Python, Ruby, PHP, C, C++, C#,Objective-C, Go, Scala, Swift, Kotlin, OCaml, SAS, Tensorflow, CUDA, orthe like. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer,partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partlyon the user's computer, and partly on a remote computer or entirely onthe remote computer or server. In the latter situation scenario, theremote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any typeof network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network(WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (forexample, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).

Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions.

These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of ageneral purpose computer, special purpose computer, or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such thatthe instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer orother programmable data processing apparatus, create an ability forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a device, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted,in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blockmay occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocksshown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method implemented on a mobile device, themethod comprising: establishing a wireless connection with apresence-identification device; transmitting a unique identifierassociated with the mobile device to the presence-identification device;receiving targeted information based on user history information,wherein: the presence-identification device is associated with abusiness brick and mortar entity; and the user history information isassociated with a user of the mobile device; and launching a graphicuser interface (GUI) on the mobile device specific to the business brickand mortar entity, wherein the GUI comprises a plurality of selectionsincluding at least two of: a button associated with a walk-inappointment request; a button associated with an existing appointmentcheck-in; a button associated with daily specials of products orservices; and a button to add an icon specific for the business brickand mortar entity to a home screen of the mobile device.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein the GUI is a mobile application that is specific forthe business brick and mortar entity.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe plurality of selections includes a user specific one-click check-inbutton.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence-identificationdevice is located within the business brick and mortar entity.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, wherein the presence-identification device isuniquely associated with the business brick and mortar entity.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the targeted information is received from aweb server.
 7. The method of claim 6 further comprising transmittingupdated user information to the web server.
 8. The method of claim 7,wherein the updated user information comprises at least one of a username, a user phone number, a user email address, a mobile device modelnumber, and a user gender, a user age, or a user marital status.
 9. Themethod of claim 7 further comprising providing a graphic user interface(GUI) on the mobile device, wherein the GUI is configured to prompt theuser for the updated user information.
 10. The method of claim 6,wherein the web server is provided by the presence-identificationdevice.
 11. The method of claim 6, wherein the web server is associatedwith the business brick and mortar entity.
 12. The method of claim 1,wherein the mobile device is at least one of an activity tracker, asmartwatch, a smartphone, a tablet, or a laptop.
 13. The method of claim1, wherein the unique identifier is a media access control (MAC) addressof the mobile device.
 14. The method of claim 1 further comprisingdisplaying a notification that the mobile device is in proximity of thebusiness brick and mortar entity.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein thewireless connection is established via a Wi-Fi interface of the mobiledevice.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless connection isestablished via a personal area network (PAN) interface of the mobiledevice.
 17. A mobile device comprising: a memory; and a processorconfigured for: establishing a connection with a presence-identificationdevice; transmitting a unique identifier associated with the mobiledevice to the presence-identification device; receiving targetedinformation based on user history information, wherein: thepresence-identification device is associated with a business brick andmortar entity; and the user history information is associated with auser of the mobile device; and launching a graphic user interface (GUI)on the mobile device specific to the business brick and mortar entity,wherein the GUI comprises a plurality of selections including at leasttwo of: a button associated with a walk-in appointment request; a buttonassociated with an existing appointment check-in; a button associatedwith daily specials of products or services; and a button to add an iconspecific for the business brick and mortar entity to a home screen ofthe mobile device.
 18. A non-transitory computer readable mediumcomprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions which whenexecuted by one or more processors of a mobile device are adapted tocause the mobile device to perform a method comprising: establishing aconnection with a presence-identification device; transmitting a uniqueidentifier associated with the mobile device to thepresence-identification device; receiving targeted information based onuser history information, wherein: the presence-identification device isassociated with a business brick and mortar entity; and the user historyinformation is associated with a user of the mobile device; andlaunching a graphic user interface (GUI) on the mobile device specificto the business brick and mortar entity, wherein the GUI comprises aplurality of selections including at least two of: a button associatedwith a walk-in appointment request; a button associated with an existingappointment check-in; a button associated with daily specials ofproducts or services; and a button to add an icon specific for thebusiness brick and mortar entity to a home screen of the mobile device.